Air conditioner, control method and computer-readable storage medium

ABSTRACT

Proposed by the present disclosure are an air conditioner, a control method and a computer-readable storage medium. The air conditioner includes: a refrigerant switching device, an indoor heat exchanger, an outdoor heat exchanger, a compressor, a memory, and a processor. The refrigerant switching device includes a liquid pipe, a gas pipe, and a valve assembly. The processor executes a computer program to execute the following: obtaining switching information of a working mode of the air conditioner; and controlling the valve assembly according to the switching information and the gas pipe and the liquid pipe are closed according to the sequence of the gas pipe first and then the liquid pipe, and then opened according to the sequence of the gas pipe first and then the liquid pipe.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present disclosure is a national phase application of InternationalApplication No. PCT/CN2020/135836, filed on Dec. 11, 2020, which claimspriority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202010998871.2 filed withChina National Intellectual Property Administration on Sep. 22, 2020,the entireties of which are herein incorporated by reference.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to the field of air conditioners, andparticularly relates to an air conditioner, a control method for an airconditioner, and a computer-readable storage medium.

BACKGROUND

In a three-pipe heat recovery multi-connected air conditioning system,the refrigerant flow direction needs to be changed at the time of modeswitching for an indoor unit. The change in the refrigerant flowdirection is often switching a gas pipe of the indoor unit between ahigh-pressure gas pipe and a low-pressure gas pipe, to connect therefrigerant in one of the states to the indoor unit, to form a passagewith a liquid pipe refrigerant. However, due to a relatively largedifference in refrigerant pressure between the high-pressure gas pipeand the low-pressure gas pipe, when switching occurs, the refrigerant inthe indoor unit and the refrigerant in the pipe to which the gas pipe ofthe indoor unit is switched are directly connected, i.e., ahigh-pressure refrigerant and a low-pressure refrigerant are directlyconnected, thus generating noticeable noises during switching.

SUMMARY

One embodiment of the present disclosure proposes an air conditioner.

Another embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a control methodfor an air conditioner.

In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure proposes acomputer-readable storage medium.

In view of this, according to the embodiments of the present disclosure,there is proposed an air conditioner including a refrigerant switchingdevice, comprising a liquid pipe, a gas pipe and a valve assembly, thevalve assembly being arranged on the liquid pipe and the gas pipe andconfigured to open the liquid pipe and the gas pipe or close the liquidpipe and the gas pipe; an indoor heat exchanger, a first port of theindoor heat exchanger being connected to the liquid pipe and a secondport of the indoor heat exchanger being connected to the gas pipe; anoutdoor heat exchanger, a first port of the outdoor heat exchanger beingconnected to the liquid pipe; a compressor, a first port of thecompressor being connected to the gas pipe and a second port of thecompressor being connected to a second port of the outdoor heatexchanger; a memory, storing a computer program; and a processor,connected to the memory and the valve assembly, the processor executingthe computer program to perform the following: obtaining switchinginformation of a working mode of the air conditioner; and controllingthe valve assembly according to the switching information and the gaspipe and the liquid pipe are closed according to the sequence of the gaspipe first and then the liquid pipe, and then opened according to thesequence of the gas pipe first and then the liquid pipe.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, there is proposeda control method for an air conditioner, comprising: obtaining switchinginformation of a working mode of the air conditioner; and controllingthe valve assembly according to the switching information and a gas pipeand a liquid pipe are closed according to the sequence of the gas pipefirst and then the liquid pipe, and then opened according to thesequence of the gas pipe first and then the liquid pipe.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, there is proposeda computer-readable storage medium on which a computer program isstored, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, thecontrol method for an air conditioner proposed in some embodiments.Therefore, the computer-readable storage medium has all the beneficialeffects of the control method for an air conditioner proposed in someembodiments.BRIEF

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The embodiments of the present disclosure will be made below on thedrawings required to be used in the description of the embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an air conditioner accordingto an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of an air conditioner accordingto another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of an air conditioner accordingto a further embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a schematic flowchart of a control method for an airconditioner according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a schematic flowchart of a control method for an airconditioner according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a schematic flowchart of a control method for an airconditioner according to a further embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 is a schematic flowchart of a control method for an airconditioner according to a still further embodiment of the presentdisclosure; and

FIG. 8 is a schematic flowchart of a control method for an airconditioner according to a still further embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

The corresponding relationship between the reference signs and componentnames in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3 is as follows:

100: refrigerant switching device, 102: liquid pipe 104: first pressuregas pipe, 106: second pressure gas pipe, 110: valve assembly, 112: firstvalve body, 114: second valve body, 116: third valve body, 210: indoorheat exchanger, 212: first port of indoor heat exchanger, 214: secondport of indoor heat exchanger, 220: outdoor heat exchanger, 222: firstport of outdoor heat exchanger, 230: compressor, 232: exhaust port, 234:gas suction port, and 240: expansion valve.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

Embodiments of the present disclosure can be understood more clearly bya further detailed description of the present disclosure which will begiven below in connection with the accompanying drawings and specificembodiments. It should be noted that the embodiments of the presentdisclosure and the features in the embodiments can be combined with eachother if there is no conflict.

In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth inorder to provide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure.However, the present disclosure can also be implemented in other mannersthan those described herein. Therefore, the protection scope of thepresent disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosedbelow.

An air conditioner, a control method for an air conditioner, and acomputer-readable storage medium according to some embodiments of thepresent disclosure are described below with reference to FIG. 1 to FIG.8 .

As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3 , according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure, there is proposed an air conditioner, comprising: arefrigerant switching device 100, an indoor heat exchanger 210, anoutdoor heat exchanger 220, a compressor 230, a memory (not shown), anda processor (not shown).

For example, the refrigerant switching device 100 includes a liquid pipe102, a gas pipe (a first pressure gas pipe 104 and a second pressure gaspipe 106), and a valve assembly 110. The valve assembly 110 is disposedon the liquid pipe 102 and the gas pipe and configured to open theliquid pipe 102 and the gas pipe, or close the liquid pipe 102 and thegas pipe. A first port 212 of the indoor heat exchanger is connected tothe liquid pipe 102 and a second port 214 of the indoor heat exchangeris connected to the gas pipe. A first port 222 of the outdoor heatexchanger is connected to the liquid pipe 102. A first port (a gassuction port 234 and an exhaust port 232) of the compressor is connectedto the gas pipe and a second port of the compressor is connected to asecond port of the outdoor heat exchanger. That is, the gas pipe isconnected between the second port 214 of the indoor heat exchanger andthe first port of the compressor, and the liquid pipe 102 is connectedbetween the first port 212 of the indoor heat exchanger and the firstport 222 of the outdoor heat exchanger. The processor is connected tothe memory and the valve assembly 110, and the processor executes acomputer program to perform the following: obtaining switchinginformation of a working mode of the air conditioner; and controllingthe valve assembly 110 according to the switching information and thegas pipe and the liquid pipe 102 are closed according to the sequence ofthe gas pipe first and then the liquid pipe 102, and then openedaccording to the sequence of the gas pipe first and then the liquid pipe102.

In this embodiment, the air conditioner is provided with a refrigerantswitching device 100, an indoor heat exchanger 210, an outdoor heatexchanger 220, a compressor 230, a memory, and a processor. Therefrigerant switching device 100 includes a liquid pipe 102, a gas pipeand a valve assembly 110. The gas pipe is connected between the secondport 214 of the indoor heat exchanger and the first port of thecompressor to deliver a gas refrigerant. The liquid pipe 102 isconnected between the first port 212 of the indoor heat exchanger andthe first port 222 of the outdoor heat exchanger to deliver a liquidrefrigerant. The valve assembly 110 is arranged on the gas pipe and theliquid pipe 102 for opening or closing the gas pipe and the liquid pipe102.

When it is detected that the air conditioner needs to switch the workingmode, the gas pipe opened in the current working mode is closed firstaccording to the switching information, and then the liquid pipe 102 iscontrolled to be closed, and the pressure in the liquid pipe 102 isrestored to an initial value when the air conditioner is in a standbystate, the refrigerant inside the indoor unit heat exchanger is limited,and after it is determined that the pressure in the liquid pipe 102 isstable, i.e., after the liquid pipe 102 is completely closed, the gaspipe corresponding to a target working mode is controlled to be openedaccording to the switching information, and a pressure difference isformed in the pipe, and then the liquid pipe 102 is controlled to beopened to restore the refrigerant flow, completing switching of therefrigerant flow direction. The working mode includes a cooling mode anda heating mode. Thus, during the switching process of the working mode,the refrigerant inside the indoor unit heat exchanger is limited throughfirst closing the gas pipe and the liquid pipe 102, which reduces theamount of refrigerant to be balanced after the gas pipe connected to thetarget working mode is connected, and reduces the refrigerant noisecaused by the impact of high-pressure and low-pressure refrigerantsduring the gas pipe and liquid pipe connection process. At the sametime, the refrigerant flow may be switched without limiting therefrigerant flow, which greatly shortens the duration of the switchingprocess, ensures the operation stability of the compressor 230, improvesthe cooling or heating effect of the air conditioner, and enhances thereliability of the air conditioner.

As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3 , in an embodiment according to the presentdisclosure, the features defined in the above embodiment are included,and further, the first port of the compressor includes an exhaust port232 and a gas suction port 234; and the gas pipe includes a firstpressure gas pipe 104 and a second pressure gas pipe 106.

For example, the first pressure gas pipe 104 is connected between theexhaust port 232 and the second port 214 of the indoor heat exchanger;and the second pressure gas pipe 106 is connected between the gassuction port 234 and the second port 214 of the indoor heat exchanger;and a pressure on the first pressure gas pipe 104 is greater than apressure on the second pressure gas pipe 106.

In this embodiment, the gas pipe includes a first pressure gas pipe 104and a second pressure gas pipe 106, the exhaust port 232 of thecompressor 230 is communicated with the indoor heat exchanger 210through the first pressure gas pipe 104, and the gas suction port 234 ofthe compressor 230 is communicated with the indoor heat exchanger 210through the second pressure gas pipe 106. The pressure on the firstpressure gas pipe 104 is greater than the pressure on the secondpressure gas pipe 106, i.e., one high-pressure gas pipe and onelow-pressure gas pipe. Thus, by controlling the first pressure gas pipe104 and the second pressure gas pipe 106, one-way flow of therefrigerant is achieved, and the cooling and heating functions of theair conditioner, which has a simple structure, and is easy to assembleand easy to control.

For example, when the air conditioner is in the heating mode, the firstpressure gas pipe 104 and the liquid pipe 102 are controlled to beopened, the second pressure gas pipe 106 is controlled to be closed, andthe compressor 230 pressurizes the gaseous refrigerant, and the gaseousrefrigerant becomes a high-temperature high-pressure refrigerant, whichis delivered, under the effect of the pressure difference, to the indoorheat exchanger 210 through the first pressure gas pipe 104 to becondensed and liquefied to release heat, to achieve the purpose ofheating. The liquefied liquid refrigerant is depressurized and thenenters the outdoor heat exchanger 220 through the liquid pipe 102 toabsorb heat for gasification, and the gasified refrigerant enters thecompressor 230 again for the next cycle. When the air conditioner is inthe cooling mode, the second pressure gas pipe 106 and the liquid pipe102 are controlled to be opened, the first pressure gas pipe 104 iscontrolled to be closed, and the compressor 230 pressurizes the gaseousrefrigerant, and the gaseous refrigerant becomes a high-temperaturehigh-pressure refrigerant, which is delivered to the outdoor heatexchanger 220 to be liquefied to release heat, and the liquidrefrigerant in the outdoor heat exchanger 220 is depressurized and thenenters the indoor heat exchanger 210 through the liquid pipe 102 to begasified to absorb heat, to achieve the purpose of cooling. The gasifiedgaseous refrigerant is delivered to the compressor 230 and pressurizedagain for the next cycle.

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 , in an embodiment according to thepresent disclosure, the features defined in any of the above embodimentsare included, and further, the valve assembly 110 includes: a firstvalve body 112, a second valve body 114 and a third valve body 116.

For example, the first valve body 112 is disposed in the liquid pipe 102and used for opening or closing the liquid pipe 102; the second valvebody 114 is disposed in the first pressure gas pipe 104 and used foropening or closing the first pressure gas pipe 104; and the third valvebody 116 is disposed in the second pressure gas pipe 106 and used foropening or closing the second pressure gas pipe 106.

In this embodiment, the valve assembly 110 includes: a first valve body112, a second valve body 114 and a third valve body 116, which aredisposed in the liquid pipe 102, the first pressure gas pipe 104 and thesecond pressure gas pipe 106, respectively, thus enabling independentcontrol of the opening and closing of the liquid pipe 102 and the twogas pipes, facilitating control.

Further, when the air conditioner is in the heating mode, the firstvalve body 112 and the second valve body 114 are opened and the thirdvalve body 116 is closed, and the first pressure gas pipe 104 and theliquid pipe 102 are opened and the second pressure gas pipe 106 isdisconnected. When the air conditioner is in the cooling mode, the firstvalve body 112 and the third valve body 116 are opened and the secondvalve body 114 is closed, and the second pressure gas pipe 106 and theliquid pipe 102 are opened and the first pressure gas pipe 104 isdisconnected.

It may be understood that the first valve body 112, the second valvebody 114 and the third valve body 116 may be ordinary on-off valvebodies, may also be proportional control valves whose opening degree canbe adjusted, such as electric ball valves, electronic expansion valves,etc., and may further be a combination of multiple on-off valve bodies(e.g., solenoid valves) of different calibers in parallel. In addition,since both the first pressure gas pipe 104 and the second pressure gaspipe 106 are connected to the second port 214 of the indoor heatexchanger, the second valve body 114 and the third valve body 116 may bereplaced with a three-way valve.

Further, the step of the processor executing controlling the valveassembly 110 according to the switching information when executing thecomputer program includes: controlling the third valve body 116 to closeand then controlling the first valve body 112 to close, according to theswitching information of the air conditioner switching from the coolingmode to the heating mode; controlling the second valve body 114 to open,based on a first time duration in which the first valve body 112 isclosed reaching a first time duration threshold; and controlling thefirst valve body 112 to open, based on a second time duration in whichthe second valve body 114 is opened reaching a second time durationthreshold.

For example, at the time of switching from the cooling mode to theheating mode, the third valve body 116 is controlled to close first todisconnect the second pressure gas pipe 106 which is opened in thecooling mode. Then the first valve body 112 is controlled to close andthe liquid pipe 102 is closed, and timing of the first time duration inwhich the first valve body 112 is closed is started. When the first timeduration reaches the first time duration threshold, it indicates thatthe liquid pipe 102 is completely closed and the pressure in the liquidpipe 102 is stabilized. In such a case, the second valve body 114 iscontrolled to open and the first pressure gas pipe 104 is opened, andtiming of the second time duration in which the second valve body 114 isopened is started. When the second time duration reaches the second timeduration threshold, it indicates that a pressure difference between thegas pipe and the first pressure gas pipe 104 is formed and the pressuredifference is stable, then the liquid pipe 102 is opened by controllingthe first valve body 112 to achieve switching of the refrigerant flowdirection. In this way, the amount of refrigerant to be balanced afterthe first pressure gas pipe 104 is connected is effectively reduced, andthe refrigerant noise generated by the impact of high-pressure andlow-pressure refrigerants during the connection process is reduced. Inone embodiment, switching of the refrigerant flow can be achievedwithout limiting the refrigerant flow, which greatly shortens theduration of the switching process, ensures the operation stability ofthe compressor 230, improves the cooling or heating effect of the airconditioner, and enhances the reliability of the air conditioner.

Still further, the step of the processor executing controlling the valveassembly 110 according to the switching information when executing thecomputer program includes: controlling the second valve body 114 toclose and then controlling the first valve body 112 to close, accordingto the switching information of the air conditioner switching from theheating mode to the cooling mode; controlling the third valve body 116to open, based on a first time duration in which the first valve body112 is closed reaching a first time duration threshold; and controllingthe first valve body 112 to open, based on a third time duration inwhich the third valve body 116 is opened reaching a third time durationthreshold.

For example, at the time of switching from the heating mode to thecooling mode, the second valve body 114 is controlled to close first todisconnect the first pressure gas pipe 104 which is opened in theheating mode. Then the first valve body 112 is controlled to close andthe liquid pipe 102 is closed, and timing of the first time duration inwhich the first valve body 112 is closed is started. When the first timeduration reaches the first time duration threshold, it indicates thatthe liquid pipe 102 is completely closed and the pressure in the liquidpipe 102 is stabilized. In such a case, the third valve body 116 iscontrolled to open and the second pressure gas pipe 106 is opened, andtiming of the third time duration in which the third valve body 116 isopened is started. When the third time duration reaches the third timeduration threshold, it indicates that a pressure difference between thegas pipe and the second pressure gas pipe 106 is formed and the pressuredifference is stable, then the liquid pipe 102 is opened by controllingthe first valve body 112 to achieve switching of the refrigerant flowdirection. In this way, the amount of refrigerant to be balanced afterthe second pressure gas pipe 106 is connected is effectively reduced,and the refrigerant noise generated by the impact of high-pressure andlow-pressure refrigerants during the connection process is reduced. Inone embodiment, switching of the refrigerant flow can be achievedwithout limiting the refrigerant flow, which greatly shortens theduration of the switching process, ensures the operation stability ofthe compressor 230, improves the cooling or heating effect of the airconditioner, and enhances the reliability of the air conditioner.

The first time duration threshold, the second time duration thresholdand the third time duration threshold may be set reasonably according tothe parameters of the air conditioner and the requirements. The firsttime duration threshold may be set in the range of 0 to 3 min, forexample, 0.1 s, 0.5 s, 1 s, 60 s, etc.

In an embodiment according to the present disclosure, the featuresdefined in any of the above embodiments are included, and further, thefirst valve body, the second valve body and the third valve body areeach a proportional control valve.

For example, the step of the processor executing the computer program toperform controlling the second valve body or the third valve body toopen includes: adjusting an opening degree of the proportional controlvalve multiple times according to a preset opening degree, and theopening degree of the proportional control valve reaches an openingdegree threshold.

In this embodiment, in the process of opening the second valve body orthe third valve body, the opening degree of the proportional controlvalve is adjusted multiple times according to the preset opening degree,and the valve body slowly opens to the opening degree threshold, toimprove the stability in the pressure transition process, furtherreducing the noise generated during the switching of the working mode,and enhancing the user's experience.

For example, in the case of switching the indoor unit from the coolingmode to the heating mode, at the time of opening the first pressure gaspipe, the second valve body is controlled to open to a preset openingdegree first, and maintained for a maintenance time. After themaintenance time reaches the second time duration threshold, the secondvalve body is fully opened; and then the first valve body of the liquidpipe is opened, completing the switching from the cooling mode to theheating mode. Of course, there may be multiple preset opening degrees inthe opening process, the multiple preset opening degrees may be the sameor different, the maintenance time corresponding to each preset openingdegree may also be the same or different, and the sum of the maintenancetime corresponding to the multiple preset opening degrees is reasonablyset according to the second time duration threshold.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 2 , since the first valve body 112 cancontrol the flow rate of the liquid pipe 102 by adjusting the openingdegree, an expansion valve for throttling and pressure reduction betweenthe indoor and outdoor heat exchangers can be omitted, simplifying thesystem structure and reducing the cost. Similarly, an expansion valve240 for throttling and pressure reduction between the indoor and outdoorheat exchangers is also utilized to replace the first valve body, asshown in FIG. 3 .

As shown in FIG. 4 , according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure, there is proposed a control method for an air conditioner,comprising:

step 302, obtaining switching information of a working mode of the airconditioner; and

step 304, controlling the valve assembly according to the switchinginformation and a gas pipe and a liquid pipe are closed according to thesequence of the gas pipe first and then the liquid pipe, and then openedaccording to the sequence of the gas pipe first and then the liquidpipe.

In this embodiment, when it is detected that the air conditioner needsto switch the working mode, the gas pipe opened in the current workingmode is closed first according to the switching information, and thenthe liquid pipe is controlled to be closed, and the pressure in theliquid pipe is restored to an initial value when the air conditioner isin a standby state, the refrigerant inside the indoor unit heatexchanger is limited, and after it is determined that the pressure inthe liquid pipe is stable, i.e., after the liquid pipe is completelyclosed, the gas pipe corresponding to a target working mode iscontrolled to be opened according to the switching information, and apressure difference is formed in the pipe, and then the liquid pipe iscontrolled to be opened to restore the refrigerant flow, completingswitching of the refrigerant flow direction. The working mode includes acooling mode and a heating mode. Thus, during the switching process ofthe working mode, the refrigerant inside the indoor unit heat exchangeris limited through first closing the gas pipe and the liquid pipe, whichreduces the amount of refrigerant to be balanced after the gas pipeconnected to the target working mode is connected, and reduces therefrigerant noise caused by the impact of high-pressure and low-pressurerefrigerants during the gas pipe and liquid pipe connection process. Atthe same time, the refrigerant flow may be switched without limiting therefrigerant flow, which greatly shortens the duration of the switchingprocess, ensures the operation stability of the compressor, improves thecooling or heating effect of the air conditioner, and enhances thereliability of the air conditioner.

As shown in FIG. 5 , according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure, there is proposed a control method for an air conditioner,comprising:

step 402, obtaining switching information of a working mode of the airconditioner;

step 404, controlling the third valve body to close and then controllingthe first valve body to close, according to the switching information ofthe air conditioner switching from the cooling mode to the heating mode;

step 406, timing a first time duration in which the first valve body isclosed;

step 408, determining whether the first time duration reaches a firsttime duration threshold, if yes, proceeding to step 410, otherwise,proceeding to step 406;

step 410, controlling the second valve body to open, and timing a secondtime duration in which the second valve body is opened;

step 412, determining whether the second time duration reaches a secondtime duration threshold, if yes, proceeding to step 414, otherwise,proceeding to step 410; and

step 414, controlling the first valve body to open.

In this embodiment, at the time of switching from the cooling mode tothe heating mode, the third valve body is controlled to close first todisconnect the second pressure gas pipe which is opened in the coolingmode. Then the first valve body is controlled to close and the liquidpipe is closed, and timing of the first time duration in which the firstvalve body is closed is started. When the first time duration reachesthe first time duration threshold, it indicates that the liquid pipe iscompletely closed and the pressure in the liquid pipe is stabilized. Insuch a case, the second valve body is controlled to open and the firstpressure gas pipe is opened, and timing of the second time duration inwhich the second valve body is opened is started. When the second timeduration reaches the second time duration threshold, it indicates that apressure difference between the gas pipe and the first pressure gas pipeis formed and the pressure difference is stable, then the liquid pipe isopened by controlling the first valve body to achieve switching of therefrigerant flow direction. In this way, the amount of refrigerant to bebalanced after the first pressure gas pipe is connected is effectivelyreduced, and the refrigerant noise generated by the impact ofhigh-pressure and low-pressure refrigerants during the connectionprocess is reduced. In one embodiment, switching of the refrigerant flowcan be achieved without limiting the refrigerant flow, which greatlyshortens the duration of the switching process, ensures the operationstability of the compressor, improves the cooling or heating effect ofthe air conditioner, and enhances the reliability of the airconditioner.

As shown in FIG. 6 , according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure, there is proposed a control method for an air conditioner,comprising:

step 502, obtaining switching information of a working mode of the airconditioner;

step 504, controlling the second valve body to close and thencontrolling the first valve body to close, according to the switchinginformation of the air conditioner switching from the heating mode tothe cooling mode;

step 506, timing a first time duration in which the first valve body isclosed;

step 508, determining whether the first time duration reaches a firsttime duration threshold, if yes, proceeding to step 510, otherwise,proceeding to step 506;

step 510, controlling the third valve body to open, and timing a thirdtime duration in which the third valve body is opened;

step 512, determining whether the third time duration reaches a thirdtime duration threshold, if yes, proceeding to step 514, otherwise,proceeding to step 510; and

step 514, controlling the first valve body to open.

In this embodiment, at the time of switching from the heating mode tothe cooling mode, the second valve body is controlled to close first todisconnect the first pressure gas pipe which is opened in the heatingmode. Then the first valve body is controlled to close and the liquidpipe is closed, and timing of the first time duration in which the firstvalve body is closed is started. When the first time duration reachesthe first time duration threshold, it indicates that the liquid pipe iscompletely closed and the pressure in the liquid pipe is stabilized. Insuch a case, the third valve body is controlled to open and the secondpressure gas pipe is opened, and timing of the third time duration inwhich the third valve body is opened is started. When the third timeduration reaches the third time duration threshold, it indicates that apressure difference between the gas pipe and the second pressure gaspipe is formed and the pressure difference is stable, then the liquidpipe is opened by controlling the first valve body to achieve switchingof the refrigerant flow direction. In this way, the amount ofrefrigerant to be balanced after the second pressure gas pipe isconnected is effectively reduced, and the refrigerant noise generated bythe impact of high-pressure and low-pressure refrigerants during theconnection process is reduced.

As shown in FIG. 7 , according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure, there is proposed a control method for an air conditioner, athird valve body of the air conditioner being a proportional controlvalve, the control method comprising:

step 602, obtaining switching information of a working mode of the airconditioner;

step 604, controlling a second valve body to close and then controllinga first valve body to close, according to the switching information ofthe air conditioner switching from the heating mode to the cooling mode;

step 606, timing a first time duration in which the first valve body isclosed;

step 608, determining whether the first time duration reaches a firsttime duration threshold, if yes, proceeding to step 610, otherwise,proceeding to step 606;

step 610, controlling the third valve body to open, and adjusting anopening degree of the third valve body multiple times according to apreset opening degree;

step 612, timing a third time duration in which the third valve body isopened;

step 614, determining whether the third time duration reaches a thirdtime duration threshold, if yes, proceeding to step 616, otherwise,proceeding to step 612; and

step 616, controlling the first valve body to open.

In this embodiment, the indoor unit is switched from the heating mode tothe cooling mode. At the time of opening the second pressure gas pipe,i.e., in the process of opening the third valve body, the opening degreeof the second valve body is adjusted multiple times according to thepreset opening degree. For example, the third valve body is controlledto open to a first preset opening degree first. After the maintenancetime in which the third valve body is maintained open according to thefirst preset opening degree reaches a time threshold corresponding tothe first preset opening degree, the opening degree of the third valvebody continues to be increased according to a next preset openingdegree, and this process is repeated until the third valve body slowlyopens to the opening degree threshold. Then the first valve body of theliquid pipe is opened, completing the switching from the heating mode tothe cooling mode. In this way, the stability in the pressure transitionprocess is improved, the noise generated during the switching of theworking mode is further reduced, and the user's experience is enhanced.

It may be understood that there may be multiple preset opening degreesin the opening process, the multiple preset opening degrees may be thesame or different, the maintenance time corresponding to each presetopening degree may also be the same or different, and the sum of themaintenance time corresponding to the multiple preset opening degrees isreasonably set according to the third time duration threshold.

As shown in FIG. 8 , according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure, there is proposed a control method for an air conditioner, asecond valve body of the air conditioner being a proportional controlvalve, the control method comprising:

step 702, obtaining switching information of a working mode of the airconditioner;

step 704, controlling the third valve body to close and then controllingthe first valve body to close, according to the switching information ofthe air conditioner switching from the cooling mode to the heating mode;

step 706, timing a first time duration in which the first valve body isclosed;

step 708, determining whether the first time duration reaches a firsttime duration threshold, if yes, proceeding to step 710, otherwise,proceeding to step 706;

step 710, controlling the second valve body to open, and adjusting anopening degree of the second valve body multiple times according to apreset opening degree;

step 712, timing a second time duration in which the second valve bodyis opened;

step 714, determining whether the second time duration reaches a secondtime duration threshold, if yes, proceeding to step 716, otherwise,proceeding to step 712; and

step 716, controlling the first valve body to open.

In this embodiment, the indoor unit is switched from the cooling mode tothe heating mode. At the time of opening the first pressure gas pipe,i.e., in the process of opening the second valve body, the openingdegree of the second valve body is adjusted multiple times according tothe preset opening degree. For example, the second valve body iscontrolled to open to a first preset opening degree first. After themaintenance time in which the second valve body is maintained openaccording to the first preset opening degree reaches a time thresholdcorresponding to the first preset opening degree, the opening degree ofthe second valve body continues to be increased according to a nextpreset opening degree, and this process is repeated until the secondvalve body slowly opens to the opening degree threshold. Then the firstvalve body of the liquid pipe is opened, completing the switching fromthe cooling mode to the heating mode. In this way, the stability in thepressure transition process is improved, the noise generated during theswitching of the working mode is further reduced, and the user'sexperience is enhanced.

It needs to be noted that the sum of the maintenance time correspondingto the multiple preset opening degrees is reasonably set according tothe second time duration threshold.

According to a specific embodiment of the present disclosure, there isproposed a control method for an air conditioner.

For example, as shown in FIG. 2 , the gas pipe (the first port 212 ofthe indoor heat exchanger) and the liquid pipe (the second port 214 ofthe indoor heat exchanger) of the heat exchanger of the indoor unit areconnected to the indoor side gas pipe (the first pressure gas pipe 104and the second pressure gas pipe 106) and liquid pipe 102 of theswitching device (the refrigerant switching device 100), respectively;and the outdoor side medium-pressure liquid pipe 102, high-pressure gaspipe (the first pressure gas pipe 104) and low-pressure gas pipe (thesecond pressure gas pipe 106) of the switching device are connected tothe liquid pipe (the first port 222 of the outdoor heat exchanger) ofthe heat exchanger of the outdoor unit, and the high-pressure gas pipe(the exhaust port 232) and the low-pressure gas pipe (the gas suctionport 234) of the compressor of the outdoor unit, respectively. Theoutdoor side medium-pressure liquid pipe 102 of the switching device isconnected to the indoor side liquid pipe through an electric ball valve(the first valve body 112), and after connected to an electric ballvalve (the second valve body 114, the third valve body 116)respectively, the outdoor side high-pressure gas pipe and low-pressuregas pipe are connected to the indoor side gas pipe at the same time.

When the indoor unit heat exchanger runs in the cooling mode, theswitching device makes the electric ball valve on the outdoor sidemedium-pressure liquid pipe 102 open, the indoor side and outdoor sideliquid pipes 102 of the switching device are communicated, the electricball valve on the outdoor side low-pressure gas pipe is opened, theelectric ball valve on the high-pressure gas pipe is closed, and theindoor side gas pipe of the switching device is communicated with theoutdoor side low-pressure gas pipe. The refrigerant flows from themedium-pressure liquid pipe 102 into the indoor unit heat exchanger, andthen flows out from the low-pressure gas pipe.

When the indoor unit heat exchanger runs in the heating mode, theswitching device makes the electric ball valve on the indoor side liquidpipe 102 open, the indoor side and outdoor side liquid pipes 102 of theswitching device are communicated, the electric ball valve on theoutdoor side high-pressure gas pipe is opened, the electric ball valveon the outdoor side low-pressure gas pipe is closed, and the indoor sidegas pipe is communicated with the outdoor side high-pressure gas pipe.The refrigerant flows from the high-pressure gas pipe into the indoorunit heat exchanger and then flows out from the outdoor side liquid pipe102.

When the indoor unit is switched from the cooling mode to the heatingmode, the indoor unit gas pipe needs to be switched from the originallyconnected outdoor side low-pressure gas pipe to the outdoor sidehigh-pressure gas pipe. Under the effect of a pressure difference, therefrigerant flow direction of the indoor unit is changed from theoriginal direction of from the liquid pipe 102 to the gas pipe to thedirection of from the gas pipe to the liquid pipe 102. When theswitching device performs switching, the electric ball valve of theoutdoor side low-pressure gas pipe is closed first, then the electricball valve on the liquid pipe 102 is closed, then the valve body on theoutdoor side high-pressure gas pipe is opened to an opening degree A andmaintained for time ta, and then is fully opened, and finally the valvebody of the liquid pipe 102 is opened, completing the switching from thecooling mode to the heating mode.

When the indoor unit is switched from the heating mode to the coolingmode, the indoor unit gas pipe needs to be switched from the originallyconnected outdoor side high-pressure gas pipe to the outdoor sidelow-pressure gas pipe. Under the effect of a pressure difference, therefrigerant flow direction of the indoor unit is changed from theoriginal direction of from the gas pipe to the liquid pipe 102 to thedirection of from the liquid pipe 102 to the gas pipe. When theswitching device performs switching, the electric ball valve of theoutdoor side high-pressure gas pipe is closed first, then the electricball valve on the outdoor side liquid pipe 102 is closed, then the valvebody on the outdoor side low-pressure gas pipe is opened to an openingdegree B and maintained for time tb, and then is fully opened, andfinally the valve body of the liquid pipe 102 is opened, completing theswitching from the heating mode to the cooling mode.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the control of the electric ball valve may also beachieved by the expansion valve 240 (a throttling electronic expansionvalve in a heating or cooling system) on the liquid pipe of the indoorunit.

Further, the air conditioner may be a household type air conditioner, oran air conditioning unit consisting of an outdoor unit and multipleindoor units. It may be understood that there may be a single switchingdevice, or multiple switching devices connected in parallel, i.e., inthe air conditioning unit, each indoor unit is connected with acorresponding switching device.

The valve bodies used for the high-pressure gas pipe and thelow-pressure gas pipe of the switching device may be valve bodies whoseopening degree can be adjusted, including electric ball valves,electronic expansion valves, etc. It is also feasible to replace theabove valve bodies with multiple on-off valve bodies (e.g., solenoidvalves) having different calibers in parallel combination, and the valvebodies having small calibers are opened at the time of balancing, andthe valve bodies having large calibers are opened after the balancing.As shown in FIG. 3 , the valve body that shuts off the liquid pipe 102of the switching device can be placed in the switching device, or can bereplaced by an electronic expansion valve on the indoor unit liquid pipe(the second port 214 of the indoor heat exchanger).

In this embodiment, in the switching process, the gas pipe connectedbefore switching is shut off first, then the liquid pipe 102 is shutoff, then the gas pipe required to be connected after switching isslowly connected, and finally the liquid pipe 102 is opened to resumerefrigerant flow, completing the switching of the refrigerant flowdirection. Thus, by limiting the refrigerant inside the heat exchangerof the indoor unit, the amount of refrigerant to be balanced after thegas pipe connected in a next mode is connected is reduced, therefrigerant noise generated by the connecting process is reduced, andthe duration of the switching process can also be shortened.

In an embodiment according to one embodiment of the present disclosure,there is proposed a computer-readable storage medium on which a computerprogram is stored, and when the computer program is executed by aprocessor, the control method for an air conditioner proposed in otherembodiments. Therefore, the computer-readable storage medium has all thebeneficial effects of the control method for an air conditioner proposedin some embodiments, which will not be described further here.

In the description of the present specification, the terms “first” and“second” are used for the purpose of description only, and cannot beunderstood as indicating or implying relative importance, unlessotherwise explicitly specified or defined; and the terms “connection”,“mounting”, “fixing” and the like should be understood in a broad sense,for example, “connection” may be a fixed connection, and may also be aremovable connection, or an integral connection; and may be directconnection and may also be indirect connection through an intermediary.

In the description of the present specification, the descriptions of theterms “one embodiment”, “some embodiments” and “specific embodiments”and the like mean that specific features, structures, materials orcharacteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment(s) orexample(s) are included in at least one embodiment or example of thepresent disclosure. In the specification, the schematic representationof the above terms does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment orexample. Further, the particular features, structures, materials orcharacteristics described may be combined in a suitable manner in anyone or more embodiments or examples.

1. An air conditioner, comprising: a refrigerant switching device,comprising a liquid pipe, a gas pipe and a valve assembly, the valveassembly being arranged on the liquid pipe and the gas pipe andconfigured to open the liquid pipe and the gas pipe or close the liquidpipe and the gas pipe; an indoor heat exchanger, a first port of theindoor heat exchanger being connected to the liquid pipe and a secondport of the indoor heat exchanger being connected to the gas pipe; anoutdoor heat exchanger, a first port of the outdoor heat exchanger beingconnected to the liquid pipe; a compressor, a first port of thecompressor being connected to the gas pipe and a second port of thecompressor being connected to a second port of the outdoor heatexchanger; a memory, storing a computer program; and a processor,connected to the memory and the valve assembly, the processor executingthe computer program to perform the following: obtaining switchinginformation of a working mode of the air conditioner; and controllingthe valve assembly according to the switching information, wherein thegas pipe and the liquid pipe are closed according to the sequence offirst the gas pipe and then the liquid pipe, and then opened accordingto the sequence of the gas pipe first and then the liquid pipe.
 2. Theair conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the first port of thecompressor comprises an exhaust port and a gas suction port; and the gaspipe comprises: a first pressure gas pipe, connected between the exhaustport and the second port of the indoor heat exchanger; and a secondpressure gas pipe, connected between the gas suction port and the secondport of the indoor heat exchanger; wherein a pressure on the firstpressure gas pipe is greater than a pressure on the second pressure gaspipe.
 3. The air conditioner according to claim 2, wherein the valveassembly comprises: a first valve body, arranged in the liquid pipe andconfigured to open or close the liquid pipe; a second valve body,arranged in the first pressure gas pipe and configured to open or closethe first pressure gas pipe; and a third valve body, arranged in thesecond pressure gas pipe and configured to open or close the secondpressure gas pipe.
 4. The air conditioner according to claim 3, whereinthe step of the processor executing controlling the valve assemblyaccording to the switching information when executing the computerprogram comprises: controlling the third valve body to close and thencontrolling the first valve body to close, according to the switchinginformation of the air conditioner switching from a cooling mode to aheating mode; controlling the second valve body to open, based on afirst time duration in which the first valve body is closed reaching afirst time duration threshold; and controlling the first valve body toopen, based on a second time duration in which the second valve body isopened reaching a second time duration threshold.
 5. The air conditioneraccording to claim 3, wherein the step of the processor executingcontrolling the valve assembly according to the switching informationwhen executing the computer program comprises: controlling the secondvalve body to close and then controlling the first valve body to close,according to the switching information of the air conditioner switchingfrom a heating mode to a cooling mode; controlling the third valve bodyto open, based on a first time duration in which the first valve body isclosed reaching a first time duration threshold; and controlling thefirst valve body to open, based on a third time duration in which thethird valve body is opened reaching a third time duration threshold. 6.The air conditioner according to claim 3, wherein the first valve body,the second valve body and the third valve body are each a proportionalcontrol valve; and the step of the processor executing the computerprogram to perform controlling the second valve body or the third valvebody to open comprises: adjusting an opening degree of a proportionalcontrol valve multiple times according to a preset opening degree,wherein the opening degree of the proportional control valve reaches anopening degree threshold.
 7. A control method for an air conditioner,applied to the air conditioner according to claim 1, the control methodcomprising: obtaining switching information of a working mode of the airconditioner; and controlling the valve assembly according to theswitching information, wherein a gas pipe and a liquid pipe are closedaccording to the sequence of first the gas pipe and then the liquidpipe, and then opened according to the sequence of the gas pipe firstand then the liquid pipe.
 8. The control method for an air conditioneraccording to claim 7, wherein the valve assembly comprises a first valvebody, a second valve body and a third valve body; and the step ofcontrolling the valve assembly according to the switching informationcomprises: controlling the third valve body to close and thencontrolling the first valve body to close, according to the switchinginformation of the air conditioner switching from a cooling mode to aheating mode; controlling the second valve body to open, based on afirst time duration in which the first valve body is closed reaching afirst time duration threshold; and controlling the first valve body toopen, based on a second time duration in which the second valve body isopened reaching a second time duration threshold.
 9. The control methodfor an air conditioner according to claim 7, wherein the valve assemblycomprises a first valve body, a second valve body and a third valvebody; and the step of controlling the valve assembly according to theswitching information comprises: controlling the second valve body toclose and then controlling the first valve body to close, according tothe switching information of the air conditioner switching from aheating mode to a cooling mode; controlling the third valve body toopen, based on a first time duration in which the first valve body isclosed reaching a first time duration threshold; and controlling thefirst valve body to open, based on a third time duration in which thethird valve body is opened reaching a third time duration threshold. 10.A computer-readable storage medium on which a computer program isstored, wherein when the computer program is executed by a processor,the control method for an air conditioner according to claim 7 isimplemented.